A weekend at an Onsen
by Frontline
Summary: Rei and Asuka are spending their first weekend away together...
1. Chapter 1

**All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.**

'Here we are,' Asuka said, as they pulled into the car park and she shut off the engine, unconsciously tucking a lock of her red hair behind her ear. 'Come on. Let's grab our things and we can check in...'

'Yes,' Rei said and Asuka watched as she opened the passenger door and stepped out, her pale blue hair stirring in the breeze. Typically, Rei was dressed in a white shirt and dark blue skirt. In contrast, Asuka was wearing one of her favourite t-shirts and a pair of comfortable trousers, as well as her sneakers. Grabbing the keys from the ignition, Asuka followed her out and opened the trunk, heaving out her bag with a grunt and dumping it on the floor, turning back to grab Rei's and pass it to her. Unlike hers, a large, clunky wheeled travelcase, Rei's was small and compact.

'Isn't this great?' Asuka said, turning to Rei with a grin on her face. 'A whole weekend at an Onsen...'

'Yes,' Rei said and Asuka shook her head with a grin. Rei had always been very literal.

'Come on,' Asuka said, locking the car and shoving her keys into her back pocket. 'Reception's this way...'

Dragging her case behind her, Asuka lead her towards the building and pushed open the door, where a young woman with black hair pulled back into a tight bun was seated behind the desk. As she saw them, she stood up and offered them a respectful bow.

' _Konnichiwa_.'

' _Konnichiwa_.' Asuka replied. 'We have a reservation for Sorhyu...'

'Certainly. Please wait a moment...,' she said, turning away, returning a few seconds later with a set of keys. 'You are in room 8, just down the corridor on your left. Do you need any help with your bags?'

'Thanks. We'll be fine...'

'Of course. The baths are located behind the hotel and dinner will be served from 7. My name is Yamasaki Tatsumi. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask...'

'Thank you,' Asuka said, taking the key and heading towards their room. Unlocking the door, she stepped inside, holding it open for Rei.

'Thank you,' Rei said as she stepped inside and Asuka closed the door.

'What do you think?' she asked as Rei put down her suitcase and looked around.

'It's fine...'

'You don't like it?'

'No,' Rei said, sitting in the chair by the window. 'I like it...'

'...okay,' Asuka said. 'Come on. If we get a move on, we can visit the baths before dinner...'

#######################

'Ahhh. This is great,' Asuka said as she sank back into the water of the hotspring, glancing over at Rei. 'Have you ever been to an Onsen before?'

'No...'

'Well, we've got two days here. What would you like to do...?'

'There's some reading that I'd like to catch up with...'

'Reading? We're in one of the most beautiful places we've been to and you want to sit around reading? Tomorrow, we're going to go hiking in the hills and visit the local shrine...'

'...okay...' Rei said and Asuka looked away, crossing her arms over her chest.

'Look, it's your holiday, too. You can spend it how you like...'

'I do want to catch up on my reading, but I also want to spend time with you...'

Asuka grinned, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

'That's decided, then. We can see the hills tomorrow and then crash in the bar with a few drinks. The Shrine can wait until Sunday. Is that alright with you?'

'Yes...' Rei said, settling back into the water and closing her eyes, a soft smile on her lips.

#######################

'Okay. Let's go,' Asuka said, smoothing out her red evening dress and taking Rei's hand. 'I'm starving...'

As they walked down the hallway from their room, Asuka glanced sideways at Rei. She was dressed in a pale blouse and dark blue pants, her blue hair framing her angelic face.

She's so beautiful...

Reaching the dining room, they took a table by the window that overlooked the gardens as Tatsumi-San hurried over.

'Ah. _Konbanwa, Sorhyu-San. Konbanwa, Ayanami-San._ Would you like something to eat? We have some wonderful ramen...'

'Two, please,' Asuka said and Tatsumi-San bowed.

'Of course. And, as this is your first stay with us, I will bring you some _sake_ on the house...'

'Thank you,' Asuka said and she hustled away.

'You alright?' she asked, turning to Rei, who was looking down at the table with her hands folded in her lap.

'Yes...'

'I know you're...not used to this. But, you're here with me. You don't have anything to worry about...'

'I know,' Rei said, forcing a smile as Tatsumi-San returned with two steaming bowls of ramen and the sake, placing them on the table.

'Here you are. _Dōzo omeshiagarikudasai..._ '

#######################

'That was delicious,' Asuka said, putting down her chopsticks as Tatsumi-San cleared away the plates. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome,' Tatsumi-San said, gathering up the plates with a warm smile. 'Would you need anything else?'

'No, we're fine,' Asuka said, after glancing at Rei. 'Thank you. It's been a long day. I think we'll get an early night...'

#######################

Asuka pulled on her nightshirt and slipped into bed next to Rei, propping herself up on her elbow.

'You know,' she said, a sly grin spreading over her face. 'The nice thing about having a room to yourself is the privacy...'

'What do you...?' Rei began, stopping when Asuka leant in to kiss her, her hands slipping under her t-shirt. 'Oh...'

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2

**All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.**

Asuka lay on her side, watching Rei sleep with a smile on her face as her eyes opened.

'Morning...'

'...morning,' Rei said. 'What are you doing?'

'...nothing. I was just thinking how beautiful you are,' Asuka said and Rei blushed, pulling the sheets up to her chin.

'Come on,' Asuka said, kissing her on the cheek. 'Let's get dressed and we can have some breakfast...'

#####################

'That was delicious,' Asuka said as Tatsumi-San cleared their plates away.

'Arigatou gozaimasu, Sorhyu-San. Are you doing anything today?'

'We're going hiking in the hills this morning and then we'll probably spend some time at the baths...'

'Excellent. Well, enjoy your day...'

#####################

Asuka strode up the hill, stopping when she got to the top, a grin spreading across her face.

'You've got to come and see this,' she said, turning towards Rei. 'It's beautiful...'

She stopped as she saw the albino girl struggling up the hill after her, sweat beading on her forehead.

'You alright...?'

'I'll...be fine,' Rei panted, struggling up next to her and dropping onto a nearby tree trunk with a sigh.

'Here,' Asuka said, handing her a bottle of water and she took a grateful swig.

'Thank you...'

'We're nearly at the top. You can head back, if you want...' She said and Rei shook her head, handing her back the water.

'We've come this far,' she said, standing up. 'Come on...'

#####################

'That's better,' Asuka said, sitting on the bed and removing her trainers, rubbing her feet. 'Well, I think I'm going to hit the baths. You coming...?'

'I think I'll stay here and read for a bit,' Rei said and Asuka frowned.

'...okay. I'll see you later...'

#####################

'Konbanwa, Sorhyu-San,' Tatsumi-San said as Asuka entered the baths.

'Konbanwa,' Asuka said, slipping into the water opposite her and closing her eyes with a sigh. 'These baths are wonderful...'

'Thank you, Sohryu-San. However, may I say that you do not seem relaxed...'

'...I don't know. I mean, we're at an Onsen and all Rei wants to do is sit in her room and read books...' She said and Tatsumi-San smiled softly.

'Sometimes, loving someone means accepting that they don't see things the way you do...'

#####################

'Hey,' Asuka said as she pushed open the door to their room and Rei looked up from her book.

'Hello. Did you enjoy yourself?'

'Yes. How about we get a drink in the bar? You can take your books, if you like...'

'...alright.'

#####################

'Here we are,' Asuka said, returning to the table with their drinks.

'Thank you,' Rei said, without looking up from her book and Asuka frowned as she sat down.

'I don't understand how you can sit around doing nothing...' Asuka said as she took a sip of her drink.

'I'm not doing nothing,' Rei said, without look up from her book. 'I'm reading...'

'...okay,' Asuka said and Rei closed her book, standing up.

'I'm going to have a bath,' she said, picking up another book and passing it over to Asuka. 'Here. You might enjoy this...'

Asuka watched her go, hesitating before picking up the book and starting to read...

#####################

Rei stepped into the bath, breathing a soft sigh of relief when she saw that it was empty. Removing her towel, she sat down on the wooden stool and started to wash. Once she was clean, she picked up the bucket of water and rinsed herself off, heading towards the bath and slipping into the water with a sigh...

#####################

'Enjoying yourself?' Rei asked and Asuka looked up from the book with a start.

'Sorry...I didn't hear you come in...'

'Obviously,' Rei said, her lips quirking into a small smile. 'Come on. It's nearly time for dinner...'

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

**All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.**

'Isn't this the best way to start the day?' Asuka asked, settling back into the water with a sigh.

'I'm surprised you wanted to get up so early,' Rei said, slipping into the water next to her. 'Apart from school days, I can't remember the last time you got up before 9:00...'

'Yeah,' Asuka said, with a grin. 'This will be the last time we get to visit the baths, so I wanted to make the most of it while we can...'

'I...want to thank you for arranging this,' Rei said, looking down. 'I...was unsure about coming here, but I have enjoyed it...'

'I had fun, too,' Asuka said, leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the lips...

#####################

'That was delicious,' Asuka said as Tatsumi-San cleared away the breakfast plates.

'You're welcome, Sohryu-San. I hope that you have enjoyed your stay...'

'We have,' Asuka said, with a smile. 'We want to visit the Shrine before we have to head home...'

'Excellent. Will you be staying for dinner this evening?'

'We'd love to, but we need to be back in Tokyo-3 this evening...'

'I understand. I hope that you enjoy your visit to the Shrine...'

#####################

Rei and Asuka bowed as they passed under the gate to the Shrine before heading towards the square stone basin inside the gate. Kneeling down, Rei picked up one of the wooden ladles, starting to wash her hands, Asuka following suit. The ritual was called _Temizu_ , a spiritual cleansing to symbolically wash away evil before entering the Shrine. Finishing washing her hands, Rei poured some more water into her palm, rinsing out her mouth and standing up.

'What did you want to do?' Asuka asked and Rei hesitated.

'I'm...not sure...'

'Okay,' she said, standing up. 'How about we each buy an ema...?'

'Very well...'

#####################

 _I can't decide which one to get..._ Rei thought, as she ran her gaze across the rows of ema in front of her.

I've never really thought about what I wanted before...

Glancing over at Asuka, she smiled as she turned back to the ema's.

 _Yes_... she thought, reaching out to select one with the inscription happiness in love...

#####################

Asuka's picked up an _ema_ bearing the word _peace_ and closed her hand around it quickly, looking around for Rei. With a smile, she walked over to her, linking her arm through hers.

'Come on,' she said. 'Let's buy these and we can go and visit the shrine...'

#####################

Rei hung her _ema_ next to Asuka's, standing back and glancing at her. Asuka was staring at the wall of ema that had been hung there by visitors over the year. She had seen which _ema_ Asuka had chosen and was tempted to ask her about it, but she didn't.

 _If she wants to tell me, she will..._

'Come on,' Asuka said, turning away from the wall and taking Rei's hand. 'We need to head back to the Onsen and start packing...'

'...alright...'

#####################

'Got everything?' Asuka asked as she opened the door and Rei nodded, picking up her bag. Grabbing her own suitcase, Asuka followed her out into the corridor and down the hall towards reception where Tatsumi-San was waiting.

'Thank you,' Asuka said, bowing to her as she handed over the keys. 'I wish we could stay longer...'

'You will always be welcome here, Sohryu-San, Ayanami-San,' Tatsumi said, with a smile. 'Sayonara.'

'Sayonara,' Asuka said, picking up her case and they headed out to the car. Pulling out her keys, Asuka opened the boot and heaved her suitcase in, glancing over her shoulder at Rei, who was staring wistfully at the Onsen.

'Everything alright, Wonder Girl?'

'...yes. Of course,' Rei said, moving towards the car and Asuka took her wrist gently.

'Hold on, it's me. Come on, what's wrong?'

'I...have enjoyed being here, spending time with you and I do not want it to end...'

'Why...?'

'Because...I'm worried that things will change when we get home and I will no longer feel this happy...'

'Come here,' Asuka said, wrapping her in a hug, giving her a kiss on the cheek. 'You have nothing to worry about...'

'...okay,' Rei said with a smile and Asuka opened the passenger door.

'Come on, let's go home...'

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


End file.
